Let Us Handle It

I'm well aware the crime scene cleanup industry isn't for everyone.

It's a job requiring a strong heart and stomach as well as the ability to remain emotionally detached from every situation. For me, this is the most difficult aspect of my field, but my years as a paramedic helped me prepare for the tasks now at hand.

Years ago, during my paramedic days, my partner and I were called to the scene of an injury. We were told the victim had punched a window, accidentally slicing deep into his wrist in the process. When we arrived on scene, I was caught a bit off guard in realizing the victim was married to an old friend of mine. Though I had to remain professional and adhere strictly to protocol during the moments to follow, my heart went out to my friend.

I did go back to her home to check on her once my shift ended. She explained at length the heart-wrenching experience of cleaning up a kitchen covered in her own husband's blood, and pieces of tissue that could only have been portions of his veins, with the only tools she had on hand: a worn mop, scalding water and bleach. It had taken her a few hours to carry out her inexperienced biohazard remediation services.

In her grief and confusion, she'd not thought to purchase sturdy rubber gloves, and her hands were still marked with the blotchy redness of water too hot for a person to handle and chemical irritation from the bleach. Still, along with the pungent odor of cleaners filling the kitchen, I detected a hint of the characteristic metallic smell of blood lingering. She did too, and it's a smell she's never been able to forget. She and I both realized the scene following her husband's accident must've been similar to suicide cleanup efforts many families face every day.

As we sat there chatting, she randomly glanced up and burst into tears realizing she'd missed a swath of blood spray on the ceiling. Despite her cleaning efforts, my medical training left me concerned over the infectious disease decontamination that could have been an issue had the victim not been someone she knew so well. Hot water and bleach wouldn't have been enough to render the home safe had that been the case, and I chose not to discuss the intricacies of proper disposal of biological materials with her.

Her husband survived, but seeing his blood spilled across an entire room wasn't a scenario she, or anyone else, should ever have to experience.

No one bothered to tell her companies exist to complete cleaning tasks for victims' families. To be honest, this one incident led me to become a crime scene remediation expert. Her personal experience wasn't nearly as gory as an unattended death cleanup, but it did leave her with what continues to give her nightmares to this day, 15 years after the fact. My job is to make sure others don't have to go through this.